Exemplary embodiments relate generally to communications, and more particularly, to methods, systems, devices, and computer program products for implementing condition alert services.
Conditions or events that affect a particular region or group of people can happen unexpectedly. Conditions may be traffic related (e.g., a collision, traffic jam, disabled vehicle), road related (e.g., debris on road, pothole, disabled traffic light), weather related (e.g., severe thunderstorm, flooding), or health and safety related (e.g., chemical spill, terrorist threat), to name a few. Many of these types of conditions go unresolved for an extended period of time. This may be due, in part, to either a lack of knowledge by a governing agency charged with handling the type of condition, or the agency may not fully appreciate the severity of the condition resulting in a delayed response. It may also take significant travel time for the governing agency to arrive at the area in which the condition has occurred. As a result, unsuspecting individuals who are in the region of the condition may find themselves unwittingly face-to-face with it.
Most often, a condition is reported to a governing agency (e.g., police, fire, emergency service providers) by one or more individuals who are first on the scene to discover it. However, other individuals might benefit from obtaining this information at the time of first discovery as opposed to the time in which these individuals arrive in the area of the condition. For example, an individual who receives advance warning of a condition may be in a position to avoid the area in which the condition has occurred. If enough individuals are provided with advanced warning and avoid the region, it would certainly provide a benefit to both the individuals who are notified, as well as the governing agency or first responders who require fast and unobstructed access to the condition.
What is needed, is a way to communicate information concerning conditions at the time of discovery to relevant individuals or entities, such that the individuals or entities can tale action to avoid the condition, and to enable greater access to the condition locations for those who are charged with addressing or resolving the condition.